GroenLinks and Volt are both outspoken advocates for European cooperation. A united Europe is needed to effectively tackle problems such as the climate crisis, tax evasion by big corporations and communal safety. In the European Parlement Volt has joined the European Greens, of which GroenLinks is one of the founders.
Volt doesn’t have any seats in local governments yet, because they didn’t participate in the previous elections. There are major differences between the ideas of Volt in each municipality. That’s not entirely surprising: it’s not always clear what Volt’s pan-European characteristics mean in terms of solutions for local problems.
Housing
The main difference between GroenLinks and Volt is the way we tackle housing shortages. GroenLinks wants to build affordable social housing projects that will be available for a larger group of people. Volt wants a lesser amount of social housing projects in new construction projects. GroenLinks also wants a maximum rent to make housing affordable, whereas Volt wants a free market approach.
GroenLinks wants to raise the minimum wage to €14, Volt doesn't. GroenLinks wants to take profit-based thinking and strategies out of our healthcare system. Volt wants a mix of government regulation and profit-based approaches.
GroenLinks also believes welfare should be received without additional obligations for those eligible. Volt does hold on to this system in some cities. GroenLinks has specific action plans to fight racism, but Volt often talks about ‘doing more research’ first.
